Nearest star system has a world that's Earthly in size, but too hot for human visitors

By Stephen Ornes, 17:37 PM November 5, 2012

For decades, astronomers have been training telescopes all over the sky, looking for alien worlds. In October, they reported finding an Earth-sized planet near a small, next-door star. The discovery naturally raises the question: When can we visit?

“A rocky planet around … our nearest neighbor — this is incredible,” planet-hunting astronomer Debra Fischer told Science News. The Yale University scientist did not work on the new study. “If you were going to send a spacecraft anywhere, or a p...